The present invention relates to inductive couplers, and more particularly to an inductive charge port that is adapted for use with electric automobile propulsion battery charging systems, and the like.
With the development of electric powered automobiles and the push towards their production for relatively widespread consumer use within the next ten years, there is a need for a means to easily charge the propulsion batteries contained therein. Conventional battery charging devices are not well suited for this purpose. Conventional battery chargers are not designed for frequent use by consumers and thus it is not easy to charge a propulsion battery on a regular basis using conventional chargers.
Previous inductive coupling concepts split the inductive coupling transformer into two halves, each containing a coil and part of the transformer core. This results in a much larger, heavier assembly that the user must handle when recharging the vehicle. A separable inductive coupler was developed by the assignee of the present invention for sub-sea applications by the U.S. Navy. This coupler operated at 60 Hz and thus the design was not optimized for high frequency or high power operation. The power transfer density of this coupler is about 2 Watts per cubic inch, which is insufficient to quickly recharge an automobile propulsion battery. This design is not well-suited for automobile applications.
Other inductive couplers and charging systems are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/823,949, entitled "Hand-Held Inductive Charger Having Concentric Windings", filed Jan. 22, 1992, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/823,944, entitled "Separable Inductive Coupler", filed Jan. 22, 1992, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/823,948, entitled "Hand-Held Inductive Charger Having Flat Mating Cores", filed Jan. 22, 1992, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/823,950, entitled "Wall/Ceiling Mounted Inductive Charger", filed Jan. 22, 1992, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/823,945, entitled "Weatherized Curb-Side Charger", filed Jan. 22, 1992, all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Consequently, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an inductive charge port that is adapted for use in an automobile propulsion battery charging device, or the like, that is simple to use and is adapted to efficiently charge an automobile battery employed to propel an electrically powered automobile.